MEMPHIS, Tenn. — For 2023, Howard University awarded a student from Memphis the Chadwick A. Boseman Memorial scholarship.
Since 2021, the school has awarded the scholarship created in honor of the late "Black Panther" star to one incoming freshman, covering full tuition.
Roman Neal has been dancing since he was 8 years old, starting with hip-hop and eventually mastering ballet, West African dancing and plenty more styles. Neal said he’s always been one to forge his own path and go against convention.
Now that path is taking him from Memphis to Washington D.C.
“(Memphis) is where I grew up at, and I’m taking what I grew up in and moving it to where I can grow some more,” Neal said. “This will be my origin.”
Growing up, Neal said he was always moving and always full of energy.
“Roman has always been my superstar,” his mother, Tamaria Calloway, said. “He’s always been amazing. As a child, he’s always been a little dancer.”
For the Memphis teen, dance is his art, and it became a way to evoke emotion.
“When I was always dancing, I felt like this power and this emotion coming out of me and that I could show the audience what it feels (like) and how it feels to move your body, he said.
Memphis has a well-known history of dance and music. Neal spent 10 years dancing with the New Ballet Ensemble & School, becoming one of its brightest stars.
“You don’t really see ballet all the time or people don’t love ballet as much. Like, ‘Why is this black boy doing ballet?'” Neal said. “'Why is this black boy not doing hip-hop or jookin?’”
Shining on stage and shattering stereotypes helped him catch the eye of Howard University.
Neal said he is humbled to be tied the late 'Black Panther' star’s legacy.
“It’s like somebody actually sees my hard work, and it shows how passionate Chadwick was about his arts and his brand and how he wanted to show how powerful the arts are by offering this scholarship to kids.”
Neal starts class on Monday and will be attending the Chadwick Boseman School of Fine Arts, majoring in dance.